With the exception of the Gulf War, America hasn’t been able to win one since WWII. America’s so confident in the tech it’s developed that its strategists can’t figure out an end game to any conflict they’ve dragged the military into. Dumping money into the defense industry isn’t the same as having an effective fighting force if its soldiers are demoralized with systemic neglect and shit pay. Sure we can carpet bomb the shit out of cities and place defensive points around oil wells, but that only makes the natives switch to guerilla tactics that can be very difficult to detect or counter.